Healthcare inspector

Healthcare inspectors visit healthcare facilities to ensure proper care is given to all patients in accordance with legal requirements. They also inspect if equipment, processes and staff operate adequately to prevent the spreading of infections and diseases.

Healthcare inspectors typically need to do the following duties:

• Conduct inspections of healthcare facilities to ensure compliance with regulations and standards related to safety, quality of care, and other relevant aspects.
• Investigate complaints related to healthcare providers and facilities and take appropriate actions to address issues identified.
• Provide guidance and education to healthcare providers on how to comply with regulations and improve quality of care.
• Analyze data and trends related to healthcare quality and safety and develop recommendations for improvements.
• Prepare reports and other documentation related to inspections, investigations, and compliance activities.
• Work with other healthcare regulatory agencies and organizations to coordinate activities and ensure consistency in enforcement of regulations.
• Keep up-to-date on changes in healthcare regulations and standards and ensure that healthcare providers are aware of and comply with new requirements.

The following job titles also refer to healthcare inspector:

healthcare facilities inspector
healthcare environment inspector
care commission inspector
health care facilities inspector
hospital inspector
healthcare inspectors
healthcare enforcement inspector
health facilities surveyor
health care enforcement inspector
medical facilities inspector
health care environment inspector
health care inspector

Healthcare inspectors typically work for government agencies and may work at local, regional, or national levels. They may be required to travel frequently to conduct inspections and investigations. The work may involve exposure to hazardous materials or infectious diseases, so healthcare inspectors should take appropriate precautions to protect their health and safety.

Healthcare inspectors typically need a bachelor’s degree in a field such as nursing, healthcare administration, or public health. Some positions may require a master’s degree or a degree in law. In addition to formal education, healthcare inspectors typically need experience working in healthcare, preferably in a regulatory or compliance-related role. Certification in healthcare compliance or a related field may also be required or preferred by some employers.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Healthcare inspector is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to healthcare inspector.

occupational health and safety inspector
social security inspector
clinical coder
health and safety inspector
medical records clerk

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of healthcare inspector. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of healthcare inspector with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

health and safety officer
ombudsman
public health policy officer
healthcare institution manager
healthcare consultant

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of healthcare inspector.

• Health care legislation: The patients` rights and responsibilities of health practitioners and the possible repercussions and prosecutions in relation to medical treatment negligence or malpractice.
• Medical terminology: The meaning of medical terms and abbreviations, of medical prescriptions and various medical specialties and when to use it correctly.
• Safe management of medicines: The methods and principles required to handle, store and prescribe medication with the aim of improving the safety and quality of medication usage.
• Health, safety and hygiene legislation: The set of health, safety and hygiene standards and items of legislation applicable in a specific sector.
• Medical studies: The basics and terminology of medical studies.
• Health care system: The structure and function of health care services.

These skills are necessary for the role of healthcare inspector.

• Communicate health and safety measures: Inform about applicable rules, guidelines and measures to avoid accidents and hazards in the workplace.
• Advise on risk management: Provide advice on risk management policies and prevention strategies and their implementation, being aware of different kinds of risks to a specific organisation.
• Inspect staff: Inspect staff to ensure correct practices and procedures.
• Conduct workplace audits: Conduct work site audits and inspections in order to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.
• Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations: Determine whether a healthcare institution is in compliance with legislation and regulations.
• Examine healthcare facility: Ensure compliance of healthcare institutions with related regulations. Inspect the physical site and the legal paperwork such as certificates, permits and licenses.
• Ensure safety of healthcare users: Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person’s needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.
• Educate employees on occupational hazards: Provide information and advice to employees related to the possible occupational hazards, such as industrial solvents, radiation, noise and vibration.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of healthcare inspector. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Infection control: The routes of transmission and methods of preventing spread of common and important infecting organisms together with the methods available for sterilisation and disinfection of pathogenic organisms in the prevention of infection.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of healthcare inspector. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Advise policy makers in healthcare: Present research to policy makers, health care providers, and educators to encourage improvements in public health.
• Implement policy in healthcare practices: Establish how policies should be interpreted and translated within the practice, implementing local and national policies, as well as those of your own practice and proposing developments and improvements to service delivery.
• Draw up risk assessment: Assess risks, propose improvements and describe measures to be taken at the organisational level.
• Advise medical staff: Act as a consultant to medical staff by providing advice on medical records policies.
• Identify hazards in the workplace: Perform safety audits and inspections on workplaces and workplace equipment. Ensure that they meet safety regulations and identify hazards and risks.
• Identify policy breach: Identify instances of non-compliance to set plans and policies in an organisation, and take the appropriate course of action by issuing penalties and outlining the changes which need to be made.
• Conduct research interview: Use professional researching and interviewing methods and techniques to gather relevant data, facts or information, to gain new insights and to fully comprehend the message of the interviewee.
• Collect statistics on medical records: Perform statistical analysis of various medical records of the healthcare facility, referring to the number of hospital admissions, discharges or waiting lists.
• Ensure safety regulations in dealing with infectious diseases: Ensure hygiene and safety regulations in clinic or hospital whenever a contagious patient is brought in, dealing with infectious diseases and patient quarantine procedures.
• Participate in medical inventory control: Participate in inventory control and safe storage of materials and re-order supplies.
• Manage infection control in the facility: Implement a set of measures to prevent and control infections, formulating and establishing health and safety procedures and policies.
• Present reports: Display results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.
• Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.

3257 – Environmental and occupational health inspectors and associates

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References

1. Healthcare inspector – ESCO
2. What Are the Requirements to be a Health Care Inspector? – Learn.org
3. Featured image: Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash